Tied to Justin with bonds stronger than blood, Melissa De Vire
heads into her new life with fear and anger. Anger at Emily, at Katherine and
most of all, anger at Justin, fuels her resolve to find a cure for the curse.
From the English court in 1752 to the fires of the French Revolution, Melissa
struggles to survive her new existence and find forgiveness for Justin as clues
to a cure begin to surface.

When I was a child, I made up games and
characters when my sister and I played with dolls. As I grew older, I would make
up scenarios and scenes, fully intending to write them down but never finding
the time. In my late teens, I discovered the world of role playing and settled
into an avid ‘geeky’ life of D&D, comics, sci-fi and fantasy fiction. Years
passed and I finally gave voice to the stories in my head. I write romance,
fantasy, action and adventure. I love tales of steampunk and history, tales of
magical powers and dark curses lurking in the shadows. Though The Black Lotus
is not my first attempt at a novel, it is the first I have finished.

Sydney West’s new relationship might have survived Malibu, but her
transformation from party girl to girlfriend isn’t complete…

Sydney is back in Arizona, and with the fall semester at her
doorstep, doubts about her so-called summer love start to plague her. A good
girl can only stay good for so long. Jason King changed her and made her wonder
if love was real. But now, far from his charm, and with the party scene on
campus in full swing, the magic is fading…

Jason isn’t willing to let distance drive a wedge between them…

A surprise reunion and a romantic cabin getaway is enough to
reignite their summertime spark, but Sydney isn’t convinced this whole
monogamous, meeting-your-parents thing Jason wants is possible. No boy has ever
met her mother. Then, when a sudden family tragedy strikes, it sends her
spiraling into her old habits of booze and boys.

Sydney can only hide from her past for so long…

In the fog of drowning her sorrows, Sydney realizes her former
party lifestyle won’t make her happy. Her one-night stands ended with Jason. As
much as she wants to believe in that far-fetched fairytale ending, she’s afraid
if Jason finds out about all her summer boys, he will abandon her just like her
father did.

Jason refuses to settle for the superficial shell Sydney keeps
between them, though, and is determined to…

We went for a hike
in the woods. Amelia and Hunter were pros, putting a few yards between them and
Jason and me. I didn’t mind. Amelia was like a drill sergeant. There was no
need for that when you were trying to enjoy nature’s beauty.

“Come here,” Jason
whispered into the shell of my ear. Before I could answer, he was pulling me
off the trail.

“You know the trail
is here for a reason. If we get lost, it’s on you.”

His teeth tugged on
my earlobe. He said, “Will you stop? We’re not going far.”

The wind blew
lightly through the trees and birds were singing. Internal flames ate away at
my body. I gave into Jason and let him take me to the unknown.

He stopped in front
of a fat pine tree. I gave him a curious look as he circled its trunk and
brushed his hand along its bark.

“Should I leave the
two of you alone?” I joked.

Jason smirked at me
before pulling out a pocket knife. I felt my face go from being curious to
alarmed.

“Wh—?”

“Watch.” Jason dug
the blade into the bark, carving into the tree.

I stood at his side
as he chipped away. After a few minutes, I could make out a heart shape. He
then put our initials into the center of the heart.

“There,” he said,
standing back to admire his handiwork. “Now we’ll forever live here.”

Something inside me
pulled me toward the tree. It was like I had to run my fingers down the new
carving to make sure it was real.

The tree would
forever bear our initials, through the test of time. I stared at the “JK + SW”
within the heart.

“I can honestly say
no boy has ever done this for me.”

Jason smiled,
putting away his knife. “No? Good to know I’m ahead of the game.”

*~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~*

Brittney Coon graduated Magna Cum Laude from Arizona State
University with a Bachelor of Science in Communication and a minor in Film and
Media Production. Brittney has always been creative and turned to writing to
share the stories playing through her head. In her spare time she reads, watches
Friends, attends rock concerts, and
hangs out with her cats. She currently lives in Arizona.